Introduction

Welcome to my new blog. My name is Annette Bourbonniere and I am an accessibility and inclusion consultant. This blog will deal with all things related to disability, accessibility and, above all, inclusion.

You'll find that I have a fairly broad perspective on these issues, since I have had a disability for, well, let's just say more than 20 years, I have had my own businesses for again, more than 20 years, worked in healthcare for most of my career and served on multiple councils, boards, committees and commissions related to persons with disabilities. So, as you can see, I've been on both sides of the fence as far as employment goes and I have a very good grip on system issues.

I am neither a physician nor a lawyer and nothing I say should be construed as either medical advice or legal advice.

What I do have to offer is an understanding of how disability, accessibility and inclusion play together in the areas of employment, health care and access to government and business. I am a strong believer in self advocacy as well as responsibility for one's own actions. I also find the human condition to be a source of great humor and you will see that come through at times.

A sample of some of the things I will discuss here are whether or not to disclose a disability when applying for a job, what are the employers rights and responsibilities when it comes to providing accommodations, and why in the world do all things disability end up having to be dealt with in the health care system. You will hear me call for a radical change in disability policy on local and national levels. I might also relate some humerous incidences that could only have occurred because of disability and how that is sometimes viewed by others.

I look forward to posting two or three times a week, depending on what my schedule for live presentations is. You can find out more about me and www.accessing-ability.com, Linked In and you can follow me on Twitter @AccessInclude.  You can also read my weekly column “Access-Ability” at www.NewportDailyNews.com on Mondays.